Cleaned by Pete: what a power washer does: Perspective: what is an important or a big job?

Perspective: what is an important or a big job to each person is all in how one looks at it. While we clean and work to make money which helps our families and gets us to where we want to be. Sometime it is about a little more it was for me today.

Before the after sidewalk cleaning Cleaned by Pete Springfield MO

Before the after graffiti removal, Cleaned by Pete Springfield MO

To start with all job are important to a business man whether your a power washer or any other trade we rely on job and customers. While doing a job today this thought came to me. I was looking at it as a small job I could do in the rain. Make some money and get it done fast just a "bread and butter" type job. I was not seeing the whole picture though, please let me set this up.

I was at the desk today since it was quite cool and the rain was falling, I received a call on the phone. It started "I'm very sorry did I just call you?" I replied "No mam". In a what I could tell was an upset voice she asked if I could help with graffiti removal. I told her yes I did graffiti removal and she then said she had been call around to get it done that she had some foul language and signs on her side walk with an arrow leading toward her porch. We talked and then she said no one would take it because it was on the concrete sidewalk too small of job if they had to clean up the walk-ways too. She relayed no one would do both and I said I would run over since I was not doing anything else due to the rain and see what we could do for her.

I thought I would throw what I needed in the way of cleaners on the truck just encase. I knew I could do something but just what I didn't know till I got there.

I did a "mapquest" got the location and headed out. I saw several tags in the neighborhood and knew about what to expect. I got there and it was not as big as some I say the one across the street was twice the size. I was thinking no big deal here and gave her the price she seemed quite relived and asked if she added the steps, landing, walk up and front sidewalk how much more I gave her the price and she asked when I could do it. I said now it's not raining too bad. She could not believe it. Then she told me...

This is my first home I found it after it had been abandoned for some time. Due to the closeness to the college it was a rental and suffered from alot of neglect the landlord did nothing but collect rent. When it got to bad to rent is just sat there. She was very proud of the little home and the work she had put in to it over the last year. She told me it still needed more work but it was all her's and she was very proud of it. The graffiti or tagging to me was just another job something to clean but it was more to her it was an insult and she was wondering if she was sought out or if she was being made out as something she was not. The foul language was being directed at her. I reassured her there were other tags around and it was a random act I belied from other tags and graffiti I removed. She said the arrow leading up to the house is what upset her the most like pointing something out, that something was wrong with her pride she had for this first home. It was like her baby this is what she was working for and too great pride and joy in this home.

It made me realize each job is important but just how much and what it means to others we may never know. I take great pride in Cleaned by Pete what I have built and what I do. Why wouldn't others take pride and what the do and work on. As this lady taking the pride in owing and working on this home she was making for herself. I love working with my residential customers and take pride in their pride when I clean their homes and they just can not get over what a difference it makes. Now I'll have a different view on things too, maybe just a different perspective, walking in someones shoes so to speak.

It was very refreshing to see someone with so much pride in a home that when some "urban artist" took it upon himself to add some art to it, it upset the owner and hurt them in a way as such to almost cause injury to them. No job to small will take on a bit different meaning now to me.

Here are a few picture of what I did not a big job but a very important one none the less. I did not picture the vulgar langauage or tags left (not worth giving the "urban artist" any points or promote their work. Just to say it was in forest green spray paint and applied quite heavy here.